M3P - User contributions [en]

Andrew Alamango

2014-09-16T12:52:29Z

Ilmahzen: /* Etnika */

{{stub}}

'''Andrew Alamango''' is a guitarist, composer and music promoter from Malta, who has been active since the 1990s.

==Etnika==

==Malta's Lost Voices==
Following [[Etnika]]'s temporary disbandment, due to several main musicians sought better musical opportunities on the European mainland, Alamango embarked on a project to recuperate Malta's early musical recordings. In 2010 he undertook the restoration and eventual re-release of thirty 78rpm shellacs from the 1930s, published in his book entitled [[Malta's Lost Voices]].

[[File:Andrew Alamango Valletta Festival April2002.jpg|330px|thumb|left|Andrew Alamango performing during the Valletta Festival, April 2002]]

==Festivals==
In September 2002, Alamango took part in a conference on intangible heritage organised by the [[Gibraltar Museum]]. He then partecipated in the [[Tradicionarius International Music Festival]] held in Seville and Barcelona in March 2003.

Alamango seeks his musical muses in Malta, Turkey and Egypt.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alamango, Andrew}}
[[Category:A-Z of the Malta Music Scene]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Malta]]
[[Category:Folk Music Promoters]]

Etnika

2014-09-09T17:11:16Z

Ilmahzen: /* 2004 Il-Ħolma Ġgantija at Valletta Bastions */

'''Etnika''' was one of Malta's leading modern [[Folk music|folk]] bands founded in 2000.<br />

The four founder members were composer [[Ruben Zahra]], traditional instrument maker [[Ġużi Gatt]], field and archival researcher [[Steve Borg]] and musician [[Andrew Alamango]]. Their main task was to present a revival of old traditional Maltese instruments, at times, with a fusion with contemporary ones. All had relative experience in their fields and their main task was to launch the project while some of the old folk musicians were still alive.

In 2000 Etnika released their first album, entitled ''Nafra'' Their second album ''Żifna'' was released in 2003 and depicts the sentiment of the island nation with its cross cultural Mediterranean influences.

Their efforts were rewarded by the Award of Music Achievement in the 2001 [[Malta Music Awards]], held in [[Ta'Qali]].

==The beginning==

In 1999, researcher Steve Borg from [[Marsascala]] identified a collection of old [[Culture of Malta|Maltese]] melodies at [[King's College London]]. These melodies had been published by Welshman [[Edward Jones (harpist)f|Edward Jones]], formerly the bard to the [[Prince of Wales]], around [[1807]]. Borg,the presenter of Worldbeat on [[FM Bronja]] and [[Campus FM]], made the melodies public through Etnika in 2000 at the official launch of an exhibition on traditional Maltese instruments.

[[File:Il-fundaturi t'Etnika, Ruben, Steve, Guzi u Andrew Kalkara2000.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Etnika]]

Jones, born in [[Bala]] [[North Wales]], is attributed to having collected hundreds of Welsh melodies during his walks around the principality.

At the same time composer Ruben Zahra, also from [[Marsascala]], was returning to Malta following years of academic studies at the [[Conservatorio di Musica di Frosinone]], the [[Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia]] in [[Rome]] and the [[Accademia Musicale Chigiana]] in [[Siena]].

Meanwhile folklorist [[Żejtun]] -born [[Ġużi Gatt]], currently secretary of the Għaqda Maltija tal-Folklor, was intrigued by an article written well over twenty years before about the demise of the Maltese bagpipe, the ''żaqq''. This had been handed to Borg by Professor Roderick Cannon, a bagpipe expert from Norwich.

In 1977 two British students, J.K. Partridge and Frank Jeal, published their research, entitled 'The Maltese Żaqq', in The [[Galpin Society]] Journal. It remains one of the most scholarly and informative works written in this instrument to date.

Other than describing the ''żaqq'' 's musical abilities, the authors also claimed that "the Maltese, with few notable exceptions, show little interest in their own folk culture, and any artificial attempts at revival seem unlikely to succeed. It seems sad that an island that can boast an excellent Scots pipe band, can find no room to preserve, perhaps even develop, its own native bagpipe." This statement fuelled Etnika's founding members yearn to succeed. Suffice to note that their first attempt of an interview with a local English-speaking female reporter was met with her terse statement that "Maltese instruments sound ugly and they deserve to die."

==The Maltese traditional instruments==

The Etnika project also aimed at resuscitating traditional Maltese instruments that had fallen out of use and presenting these forgotten soundscapes to Maltese society, with an aim to raise national consciousness.

These instruments included the ''flejguta'' (cane [[whistle flute]]), the ''żummara'' (single [[reed pipe]]), the ''tanbur'' ([[frame drum]]), the ''żafżava'' (friction drum) and the ''żaqq'' (Maltese [[bagpipe]]). All were built from locally sourced materials including cane, ash, string and animal skins.

[[File:Instrument exhibition at Univ of Malta Aug 2000 0002.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Traditional Maltese instruments including the żaqq]]

Gatt sought out Toni Cachia Il-Ħammarun from [[Naxxar]], one of Malta's remaining Maltese bagpipe builders and musicians. Well into his eighties, he had been playing the traditional instrument since the late 1920s. Cachia agreed to help Gatt in his quest of saving the żaqq from extinction.

==2000 Nafra at University of Malta campus==

Etnika gave their first public concert during the [[Evenings on Campus]] festival on 29 August 2000 at the [[Atriju Vassalli]] in the [[University of Malta]], during which the album [[Nafra]] was released. The album has eleven instrumental tracks, three of which taken from [[Edward Jones (harpist)|Edward Jones's]] publication of circa 1807.

It featured [[Godfrey Mifsud]] on clarinet, Mario Frendo on violin, David Grech on guitar, [[Tricia Dawn Williams]] on piano, [[Jason Fabri]] on drums, Joe Camilleri l-Bibi on percussion and Ruben Żahra on ''żaqq'' and other traditional instruments. Amongst the most popular tracks were ''Ragħaj'' (Shepherd) and l-''Għanja tal-Mewġ'''' (Waves Song). Malta's eminent folklorist [[Ġuże Cassar Pullicino]] was amongst those present.

==2001 Teatru Imwaqqa' Valletta==

Following rehearsals at Allegria in Ta' Xbiex, Etnika presented a programme including jazz fusion and flamenco music in two concerts given on the 27th and 28th September in The Royal Opera House ruins. Flamenco dancer [[Cikka Grima]], cajon player [[Andrej Vujicic]] and Maltese flamenco guitarist [[Pepe El Tiburon]] interwined with folksinger [[Frans Baldacchino]], in a show that included the first appearance with Etnika of [[Toni Cachia l-Ħammarun]], Malta's oldest żaqq musician. He appeared on stage playing the frame drum, accompanied by [[Edmond Jackson]] on żaqq.

[[File:Żifna.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Żifna, released in 2003]].

In 2003, a second album, Żifna (Dance), was released at the Bedouin Bar in [[San Giljan]] [[Malta]]. This was a more acoustic album and was produced by [[Andrew Alamango]] and [[Andrej Vujicic]].

==2003 Bumbum concerts at Fort Saint Elmo, [[Valletta]]==

In July and August 2003, Etnika presented three concerts entitled Bumbum, at [[Fort St. Elmo]] [[Valletta]] under the Etnikafe concept of fusing their music with flamenco, through the presence of dancer [[Cikka Grima]] and cajon musician [[Andrej Vujicic]]. This project also included a total of twenty musicians, including four brass musicians, three traditional musicians and two ''għannejja'' folk singers, namely [[Frans Baldacchino il-Budaj]] and [[Toni Spiteri Tal-Ġebel]].

[[File:Bumbum 2003 poster.jpg|210px|thumb|left|Poster of the acclaimed Bumbum concerts in Valletta]]

Footage from the Bumbum concerts was included in the docu-film entitled Etnika: In Search of a Lost Voice, produced by Drunken Angel. This film was shown in several European film festivals and aired on pay per view channels in Russia and the United States.

A few months later they collaborated with [[Kneehigh Theatre]] from [[Cornwall]] and a Cypriot theatrical company in a dramatic presentation called [[A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings]]

==2004 Il-Ħolma Ġgantija at [[Valletta]] Bastions==

In 2004 Etnika produced ''Il-Ħolma Ġgantija'' (The Giant Dream)

They have performed extensively throughout Europe, including the [[Montreux Jazz Festival]], Athens and Dublin and at the Roman amphitheatre of Sabratha in Libya.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

* [http://www.etnika.com.mt Etnika official website]
* [http://www.allmalta.com/folklore/etnika00.html Allmalta Maltese folk music website]
* [http://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/etnika.shtml Michael Stone interview, Rootsworld 2001].
* [http://www.frootsmag.com/content/issue/list/247-8/, Jon Lusk interview, Folk Roots 2004].

[[Category:A-Z of the Malta Music Scene]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Malta]]

File:Etnika 2015 strada stretta.jpg

2014-09-09T17:02:12Z

Ilmahzen: Some 15 years ago a small but enthusiastic group of friends on the Mediterranean island of Malta succeeded in achieving the unachievable: to almost singlehandedly revive the lost Maltese roots music genre. (include Froots quote) The group that was to ...

Some 15 years ago a small but enthusiastic group of friends on the Mediterranean island of Malta succeeded in achieving the unachievable: to almost singlehandedly revive the lost Maltese roots music genre. (include Froots quote)

The group that was to be called etnika followed a trail of fascinating archival and field research, unearthing and rescuing long forgotten instruments, exotic melodies and genres from the verge of extinction. The hardest work however was to infuse new life into these dusty treasures, to reinvent a fresh sound and provide a relevant contestant within the contemporary context.

The unlikely yet irresistible result was enchanting and at the same time it challenged people’s perception of their own musical identity, turning the tide toward a newly found national pride that soon made etnika an instant success.

Over the next seven years etnika became malta’s most prominent folk band with highly anticipated, must-see yearly showcases ETNIKAFE that featured over 20 performers on stage. They toured extensively representing Malta, and performed internationally in over 15 countries and prestigious venues of Europe and North Africa, including the Montreux Jazz festival. Their energetic and oddball style eventually provided a blueprint for a multitude of offshoot projects.

Following a long hiatus in which etnika members (some of the best Maltese musicians of international renown.) pursued their own projects in Malta (Maltas Lost Voices, Trania, The Beangrowers, The Shh), Istanbul, Paris (Akale Wube, Festen) and Seville (Puerto Flamenco, Eduardo Trassiera Trio) a new idea started to form.

The collective nostalgia created a need go back to the essence of the music, to form a reduced , back-to-basics touring band with which etnika members could express a more profound sentiment and work on an almost unplugged acoustic sound, free from effects and fanfare. Hence the addition of the asterisk to the name; the new *etnika is a heartfelt footnote, a passionate and sincere musical investigation, the unwritten text between the lines, a new story waiting to be told.

Always an unlikely a mix of artists and characters, now in this reduced 6 piece band the quirkiness of the setup becomes acute: oud and biambo(jew harp), Maltese flute and flamenco footwork, double bass and Maltese lullabies. The enchanting melancholy echoes over complex rhythms, old Maltese instruments find their way into the sizzling current soundscape on a fascinating musical journey of Malta and the Mediterranean, expect a few detours, expect the unexpected, this a port-cabaret band has a big heart.